MOTORISTS on four North-East and North Yorkshire roads face some of the worst traffic jams in England, the most detailed congestion study has found.

The four roads - a combination of motorways and major trunk routes - are included on a list showing where worst journeys, those in the bottom ten per cent, are to be found.

The most congested - not surprisingly - is the A1/A1(M) between Scotch Corner and Newcastle where, in evening rush hour, drivers face a six- minute delay for every ten miles travelled.

The jams are nearly as bad on the A19/A168 between Dishforth, North Yorkshire, and North Newcastle - a 4.7 minute delay from 7am to 10am for every ten-mile stretch.

On the other "journeys from hell" the delays are worse at morning rush hour, from 7am to10am, according to the Department for Transport (DFT) study.

Drivers face the misery of a 4.4-minute hold-up for every ten miles travelled on the A66(M)/A66 between Darlington and Middlesbrough.

And the average ten-mile delay is 1.1 minutes on the A69 between Newcastle and Carlisle, as commuters fight their way to work.

The four are among 90 routes identified as congestion hotspots by thousands of buried sensors across the 4,800-mile network of motorways and trunk roads.

The study was carried out after the Government last year watered down a commitment to cutting road congestion in the face of ever- increasing traffic.

In 2000, ministers pledged to reduce congestion by six per cent by 2010, but that target was abandoned at the end of 2002.

Now the Government is committed merely to "making journeys more reliable on the strategic road network" by April 2008.

Chris Grayling, Tory transport spokesman, said: "This is further evidence that, despite their promises, Labour has done nothing to relieve congestion on our roads.

"Traffic jams are getting longer and longer, and people are having to spend more time travelling as a result."

But Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said the congestion study underlined the need to press ahead with proposals for variable charges for every journey made.

Road pricing - to replace vehicle tax - would be introduced in one area of Britain by 2011, to test whether the technology could be extended nationwide.

Mr Darling said: "I believe road pricing has an essential part to play. Make no mistake, simply building more roads cannot be the answer."